1. Field of Invention
The present application relates to the field of musical instrument effects pedals and pedal boards.
2. Background of the Invention
A musical instrument effects pedal is a small device inserted into the signal path, between the instrument and the amplification unit, of electrical musical instruments in order to alter the sound quality of the signal. The musician switches between the “clean” or unaltered sound, and the “affected” sound by activating a switch with his or her foot—thus the “pedal” nomenclature. Effects pedals have been widely used since the 1960's, and a lucrative niche market has arisen for the resale of highly sought-after vintage pedals. A problem arises however, in that musicians seek to preserve the condition, and thus the value, of their pedals while at the same time utilizing them musically. A prominent type of damage to valuable pedals occurs when musicians attempt to stabilize them to their “pedal boards,” a device by which pedals are grouped together to allow for easier access when playing (See FIG. 7). The commonplace means for attaching a pedal to a pedal board is the ubiquitous fabric hook and loop fastener system, as has been marketed under Velcro® tradeamarks. However, in order to adhere one side of such a fabric hook and loop fastener system to the pedal, a person must subject his or her valuable pedal to the sticky, corrosive substance present on the adhesive side of the system. This adhesive substance is extremely difficult to remove and greatly depreciates the value of the pedal upon resale.
Therefore, what is needed is an effects pedal retaining unit to effectively stabilize a musical effects pedal in proper relation to a pedal board, without the use of damaging adhesive.
There are a variety of pedal boards on the market and disclosed in the prior art, however, none accomplish the benefits of the various embodiments disclosed herein by Applicant. For example, among the various pedal boards on the market are the Boss BCB-60 (http://www.bosscorp.co.jp/products/en/BCB-60), the Core Equipment Pedal Board Cases (http://www.coreoneproduct.com/pages/productindex.php3?itemref=pc-55), the Furman SP-8 Pedal Board (http://www.furmansound.com/products/pro/pdlbrd/index.php), the Ergonomic Pedal Board described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/459,223, and the Foot Pedal Board for Musical Instruments described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,215,055. All of these pedal boards are designed to accommodate multiple pedals and all use fabric hook-and-loop fasteners to stabilize the pedal with reference to the pedal board, however, none of these references adequately protect or preserve the pedals being used to a degree desired by typical collectors.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,866,829, to Pecororao (1999) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,538,185 to Stratton (2003) both disclose pedal rack systems, but neither of the technologies appear to solve the problems addressed by the present application. Thus, the primary shortcoming of these devices, and a primary problem that that Applicant seeks to remedy, is the necessity of applying damaging adhesive to the surface of valuable effects pedals. Additionally Applicant's device provides for greater pedal stability during musical performance, thereby assisting the musician to perform without focusing on the location or condition of his or her effects pedals.